FSF Warns of Rising Risk in Mixed-Use Airspace Near Busy Airports

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Increasing operational complexity and growing demand from traditional and nontraditional operators is putting ever greater pressure on the aviation safety ecosystem, Flight Safety Foundation warned today in releasing its 2025 Safety Report. The industry must respond with clear standards, strong oversight, robust safety management, and decisive safety leadership, the Foundation said.

While international airliner accidents declined in 2025 from the previous year, a dozen fatal accidents resulted in more than 400 fatalities among passengers and crew and another 33 people on the ground, according to the Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network (ASN). In particular, the Jan. 29, 2025, midair collision of a PSA Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport highlighted the risk inherent in busy, mixed-use airspace.

Reducing the risk in mixed-use airspace requires effective civil-military coordination, improved situational awareness, modernized and interoperable surveillance and communications, and clear deconfliction standards, among other elements. “This is not a localized issue; it is a rising global safety challenge as aircraft in the military, commercial, general aviation, and rotorcraft sectors, converge near high-density terminals alongside drones and similar new entrants,” said Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi.

“Managing that convergence requires shared accountability: clear procedures, interoperable equipage, data-driven oversight, and decisive action on recurring risk signals.”

In response, the Foundation launched an international task force to coordinate development of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Airborne Conflict. Increasing traffic density, greater operational diversity, and the introduction of new entrants are reshaping exposure and system resilience. Preventing airborne conflict requires collective expertise, shared ownership, and coordinated global action, the Foundation said.

In addition to reducing risks in mixed-use airspace, the Foundation calls on industry stakeholders to focus on strengthening system capacity and resilience to keep pace with demand and complexity and on restoring and reinforcing the global safety learning cycle through disciplined compliance, mature safety management systems, and transparent accident investigations and reporting. “A system operating near its limits has less margin to absorb variability, disruptions, and surprises,” Shahidi said. “Safety improves when hazards are reported, analyzed, and acted upon, and when lessons learned are shared quickly enough to prevent the next occurrence.”

The 2025 Safety Report, which is based on an analysis of data drawn from the ASN database, shows there were 101 accidents involving airliners of all types in 2025 and that 12 of those events were fatal accidents. The report details airliner and corporate jet accidents based on accident category, phase of flight, and type of operation, among other factors. Click here to download the 2025 Safety Report.

About Flight Safety Foundation (flightsafety.org)
Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to connect, influence, and lead global aviation safety.

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SOURCE Flight Safety Foundation